Idea of the Day - My Room's Version of the Yankee Swap

A little more than five years ago I found myself teaching the largest self contained multiple special needs class I have ever seen. A dozen students, four teaching assistants, a nurse, a speech therapist, an OT , a PT and myself. In the past I had always given a little token of my appreciation to everyone in December, but that year eight adults were beyond my financial means, and a secret Santa type arrangement doesn't work well with everyone in one room, so we invented our own version of a swap.

All of the staff who wanted to participate brought in an unmarked gift worth $10.00 or less (unlike a white elephant these gifts are not generally re-gifts or gag gifts, but that could be fun too). Then the names of the staff were put into a hat and the students each drew the name of the adult they would be an elf for (can you see the embedded reach, grasp and literacy skills?). After every adult had an elf (or sometimes two) each elf would pick out a gift, one by one, for the staff member her or she had picked.

This lead to a lot of fun for the students when adults would say things like, "I don't want the book, don't pick the red one that looks like a book!" and the student would pick the red one that looked like a book smirking the whole time. There is no chance to swap out of what you pick in our version of the game, what the student-elf picks is what you get! The elf would then unwrap or assist in unwrapping the gift for the staff member.

The students love this activity! The chance to have that kind of control over what a staff member gets for a gift is fun for every kind of student, from the prankster to the kind-hearted.

Share the Love

Visitors:

Odiogo Feed

Disclaimer Stuff and Nonsense:

This is a personal weblog. The opinions (and they are only opinions) expressed here represent my own and not those of my employer (including but not limited to current, former or future employers). Nor of any universities or colleges I attend or have attended. I do not and will not disclose the name(s) of my employer(s).

As a personal weblog this blog is written by a person. Just one measly person. A special education teacher who thought it might be a nice idea to give back. Sometimes I post lots and sometimes I don't. I often make spelling errors and typos. Sometimes I have a bad day and post a ranting message. I am very open to new ideas and changes to the blog, so e-mail me and let me know what you would like to see. I am a real person, so be nice, would you?

All data and information provided on this site is for informational purposes only. This blog, Teaching Learners with Multiple Needs, makes no representations as to accuracy, completeness, recentness, suitability, or validity of any information on this site and will not be liable for any errors, omissions, or delays in this information or any losses, injuries, or damages arising from its display or use. All information is provided on an as-is basis. Don't like what I say or how I say it? Don't read it! Or better yet, fight back, get your own blog!